HUNDREDS of people were caught up in a fire drama as arsonists targeted a farm where a motorcycle rally was being held.

And Joe Johnson, chairman of Tees Riders Motor Cycle Club today described the devastation felt by members after thousand of pounds worth of equipment went up in flames.

Joe, of Billingham, was woken from his bed by a friend calling to tell him the club’s storage sheds at the High Tunstall Riding Centre near Great Ayton were on fire.

A different cycle club’s rally was taking place in the area at the time, with caravans and camp sites set up all across the field.

Joe, from Billingham, said: “I wasn’t actually there but I got a call at about 2.15am on Sunday. Probably just under 500 people were there for the North East Motorcycle Action Group’s annual rally. I could hear shouting and panicking in the background.”

A large storage shed - called “The Fort” by club members - and a smaller one about 200m away both burned to the ground in the incident.

Joe added: “The first thing I thought was it was a good thing no one was hurt. People were vacated from the tents nearby quite quickly.

“The two storage sheds were both basically used for storage of things like chairs and bits and bobs. We’d recently bought a refrigeration unit that cost us £900 - that’s gone, as well as generators, electrical cables, all sorts.

“It’s devastating because a lot of people had put a lot of hard work into building the place.

“I’d like to think we’re a well respected club. We put on a lot of events and do a lot of charity work so this is very upsetting. I’ve actually been overwhelmed by the support we’ve had from local bikers and the kind comments we’ve had. I just hope whoever did this will be caught.”

A spokeswoman for the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said: “We were called at 1.33am on Sunday to deal with an incident involving HGV trailer with a wooden shed attached used for storage. This fire then spread to a portable building which was used as a washblock.

“A second fire took hold about 200m away at a large wooden shed. A gas cylinder also exploded.

“There were no injuries reported.”

The spokeswoman confirmed the blaze was being treated as suspicious due to two separate seats of fire.